Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany – – Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal defended his FIS Alpine World Ski Championships super combined gold Monday with a wire-to-wire victory in Garmisch. Italians Christof Innerhofer and Peter Fill finished 2-3 with Innerhofer completing the full complement of medals by adding silver to his super G gold and downhill bronze.nAmerican Tim Jitloff, of Reno, Nev., produced the third fastest run of slalom to climb 15 slots into 14th as Franconia, N.H.’s Bode Miller and Ted Ligety, of Park City, Utah, did not finish.

“Solid effort from Tim Jitloff,” said U.S. Ski Team men’s Head Coach, Sasha Rearick. “Unfortunately in the downhill it wasn’t his best skiing. We need to get more speed out of him in the downhill.”

“I knew going into [the slalom] I had an opportunity to have a good, clean run,” Jitloff said. “It helps me for the next races. I realize it’s a progression. I’ve got to build, build, build and then maybe I can put something together.”

Ligety, whose forté is giant slalom, was both disappointed by his own run and surprised by the medalists’ performance in the slalom run, as they’re better known as speed specialists.

“I was hoping to be a little closer [in the downhill run] than I was. I was surprised at how well Peter, Christof and Aksel skied the slalom portion,” Ligety said. “When you’re three seconds out you just have no chance when these guys are skiing that well in slalom. I just straddled [the gate].”

“Ted skied a solid downhill run, especially in the technical sections of the downhill,” Rearick added. “He didn’t do the training run for the past couple days because he was training GS and resting, but still put together a solid effort.”

Rearick said that Miller didn’t attack the downhill course with the best possible line before he ultimately failed to finish his slalom run.

“Bode didn’t have the best downhill run,” he said. “He was cutting off the line too much and going too straight forward for what the conditions could allow. And in the slalom unfortunately he skied out.”

The 2011 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships continue Wednesday with the team event.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2011 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany – February 14, 2011
Super Combined

Gold: Aksel Lund Svindal, Norway, 2:54.51
Silver: Christof Innerhofer, Italy, 2:55.52
Bronze: Peter Fill, Italy, 2:56.41